It’s been a while since I posted. Long enough that I’ve looked back on my post on patience and balance, grimacing and wondering if I really have enough patience. A lot of work stuff has been adding to my daily stressors and squeezing out any hope of writing time. So patience is key.
I know others in the YA world have blogged on this topic. But I think, given the nature of trends in YA it’s an important one to address. Trends. I frequently get advice from my students about what sort of books I should write; vampires, apocalyptic battles to the death, love stories gone awry. I smile and nod. It’s tempting to write towards trends, or even just to try to write a book because you think it will sell. But it’s not very fun. At least I don’t think so. I don’t want to sit down at the end of a long day of teaching and family and life, and crank out something I’m not in love with.
I want to tell a story that I feel has to be told. I want to share characters that make me laugh or cry, or shake my head with exasperation. Because it’s a long way from my desk to the printed page. And sometimes it takes every last ounce of energy to sit down at my desk instead of a re-run of Storage Wars. So no matter how tempting it is to believe I could write that next big hit pixie, steampunk, transgender re-telling of The Three Little Pigs, I just don’t believe it’s worth it. Unless that Pigs thing sounds good to you? Wait does it?
Ideas In Things 